Wednesday, May 12, 2010

There is a deli near my house that makes the most amazing chocolate peanut butter bars. I have been trying to come up with a copycat version of them for some time & this recipe is pretty much it. I thought they would be a great dessert to make for the bake sale, as chocolate/peanut butter desserts are very popular & these are super simple & don't require any baking! I cut them into 2" bars for the sale, but 1" bite-sized bars would be ideal, as they are very rich.They sold out faster then anything else at the sale...I wish I had made more.To begin, grease a standard sized brownie pan with non-stick cooking spray & line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang {for easy removal}. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, add a 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar {packed},2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar, a 1/2 cup of softened unsalted butter,& 1 3/4 cups of smooth peanut butter.Beat until smooth, then dump the mixture out into the pan,and press down into the bottom, making it as level as possible. Next, melt 10 ounces of milk chocolate chips,2 tablespoons of unsalted butter,and 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate {chopped} in a double boiler, or heat-proof bowl set over simmering water.Stir occasionally to combine. Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter base & smooth out the surface.Put the pan in the refrigerator, until the chocolate is set. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting on the overhang of parchment paper & slice into squares using a sharp knife. It may help to warm the knife under hot water to get through the hard chocolate layer more easily.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Adapted from Nigella LawsonMakes 1 brownie pan full of bars {quantity depends on what size you cut them}

Cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to line a standard sized brownie pan, with a bit of overhang. Grease the brownie pan & lay in the parchment paper.Combine the brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup butter & peanut butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Blend until smooth. Dump the mixture out into the pan & press it down, making it an even as possible.Melt the chocolates & 2 tablespoons of butter in a double boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally to combine. Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter base & smooth out the surface.Put the pan in the refrigerator, until the chocolate is set. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting on the overhang of parchment paper & slice into squares using a sharp knife. It may help to warm the knife under hot water to get through the hard chocolate layer more easily. The bars are very rich, so 1" squares would be a good size.Click here for the printable recipe.

I just came across your blog today. You do a wonderful job of making everything look so delicious! I was looking for an orange and fennel salad recipe to share with one of my blog readers who asked me to find one for her. I will point her to your blog when I send her some other recipes. Thanks! I'll keep tuning in to The Parsley Thief. My Own Blog is called It's Maggaliscious!

The line in your recipe: "1/2 cup butter & peanut butter" i am not sure what it means. Also, I noticed you doubled the recipe but did not put it in a 9x13 pan but stayed in the 9x9. Did you want them really thick? If I used the original (1/2 recipe) would they turn out thin? Thank you. (They look scrumptious no matter what size pan!)

Angelynn~The "1/2 cup butter & peanut butter" is the 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter from the ingredients list, along with the 1 3/4 cup peanut butter.Sorry if that sounded confusing.

I have made the recipe as written & the bars were VERY thin. Way too thin, in my opinion. I made them extra thick for a bake sale. A 3/4 version of the recipe would probably be great too.Hope this helps!

I love anything with peanut butter and chocolate! I've been a lurker here but first time I’ve made something you listed they came exactly like in the picture – and oh, we should videotape people’s responses as they take the first bite. It ranges from a sigh of relief to calm acceptance of the sugar rush. Awesome!

Great recipe— my mother used to make these! Although we never used the bittersweet chocolate as well as the milk chocolate, I always felt the chocolate top was a little much. The bittersweet is absolutely brilliant!Graham cracker crumbs are also delicious in the peanut butter component. They definitely enhance that buttery taste and add a little bit of a crunch.

hmmm. I didn't get a gritty texture at all. Maybe it was the peanut butter you used? Did you use "natural" peanut butter? I used Jif, so it was super smooth. These are very thick, and very rich. I even adjusted the original recipe, because they were so thick!I recommend cutting them into bite-sized pieces, rather than bars, because they are so rich...or, like you mentioned a bigger pan would make them thinner.

These are soo delicous! I made a batch just last weekend and I was wondering how long do these stay good?Like how long before you cant eat them anymore?Ive been meaning to bring them to work for friends but I keep forgetting and Im wondering if its to late now since its been almost a week.....

I made them and I used all bittersweet chocolate.They were terrific except for one tiny thing: the chocolate was really hard. I wonder, if I made a ganache it would be a little easier to slice through them?

Believe it, or not, I made the chocolate coating in my version way thinner than the original recipe calls for. I have no idea how Nigella managed to cut through hers!I found using a hot knife helped. I ran it under hot water between slices.Maybe a ganache would work too. I guess it's worth a try!

here's how I modified: I used 1 cup lower fat skippy's and 3/4 cup white chocolate PB. I figured there was plenty of sugar in the low fat peanut butter so I reduced sugar from 2 2/3 to 2 cups. Then, I only had dark chocolate...no milk. At the suggestion of one of the commenting folks, I added about a 1/2 cup of graham cracker crumbs. And, finally, I laid out in a 13 x 9 pan rather than a 9x9. It turned out well. I cut the pieces into LESS than 1 inch squares....took them to work, and they disappeared. Sinful,

THANK YOU! This is what I've been looking for for YEARS....just about exactly the recipe for a dessert we were served in our high school cafeteria (along with tomato soup and grilled cheese) back in the days when kids were served real food. Not only am I excited to have it, but I found out I have a lot of friends who have longed for this again, too!!

I have been searching for this recipe for nearly 3 years! They appear to be exactly what we were served in scool. I plan to make them in the very near future as in like 2 days from now! I have a feeling it will be the cure for my 10 year craving lol